Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 5.1% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) rose 5.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $171.66 and last traded at $171.4250. Approximately 5,949,697 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 6,511,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Vistra from $230.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Vistra from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $203.00 in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $237.53.

Vistra Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.40.

Insider Activity at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. This represents a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO James A. Burke sold 22,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $3,605,774.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 297,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,290,575.90. This trade represents a 6.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vistra by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,588,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,709,519,000 after acquiring an additional 390,157 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Vistra by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,660,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,880,000 after buying an additional 226,514 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,965,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,441,112,000 after acquiring an additional 97,424 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,106,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,392,299,000 after acquiring an additional 930,912 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter worth about $930,080,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.